"Sometimes I forget that she's still in middle school."
Currently, Raka was sitting on a bench in the embassy's miniature park, watching Sarah chat excitedly with a group of girls her age while swinging back and forth without a care in the world.
He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of distance watching her like that. She looked so at peace, laughing and swaying freely, while he sat sipping lukewarm coffee like a man on a lunch break at work.
'Mom did say I acted like an old guy sometimes. Maybe she might be right.'
He looked at Sarah again, who was still busy playing on the swing. Even after everything that has happened, she still can act like that. He smiled and took another sip of coffee.
'Nothing like a cup of coffee to soothe the nerves—'
"So, which one's yours?"
"Gah!" Raka flinched hard, nearly spilling his drink.
He turned to his side and saw a woman with a surprised expression and a half-raised hand. Her eyes widened.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."
Quickly regaining his composure, he cleared his throat and gave a polite smile. "No worries, it happens. I was kind of zoning out. What did you ask again?"
She gave an apologetic laugh and scooted slightly closer to him. Instinctively, Raka got the feeling she was one of those people who really liked to talk.
"I asked which one's yours."
"Which one's mine? Oh no, no. I'm just watching over my younger sister. She's the one on the swing, with the brown hair."
He pointed, and the woman's eyes followed his finger before widening slightly in realization.
"Oh, that makes more sense," she said sheepishly. "Sorry, I assumed you were a dad for a second. It's just—you look young but have this very… dad-like vibe. I figured maybe you were just one of those youthful-looking ones, haha."
"…Thank you?" he replied, unsure if he'd just been complimented or called a geezer.
Not sure what else to say, he took another sip of coffee.
She didn't seem to mind. "Wait, are you Stephanie's kid? Riko, right?"
"It's actually Raka. But yeah, I'm her kid."
"Oh my god, I knew it! I've seen you guys around a couple of times—usually near the supply tents. Back at the gymnasium, I didn't think I would see you so soon, small world, huh?"
"Wow, didn't expect someone to notice me from the gymnasium. Yeah, we did stay near the supply tents a lot. Mom likes to be extra prepared just in case something happens. She's got a thing for over-preparing."
"Well, I think that's just being smart these days," the woman said, glancing out toward the children. "Things feel safe now, but who knows how long that'll last."
Her voice dipped slightly at the end. It wasn't fearful, just… tired. He could relate to that feeling. Even in a heavily guarded location, it was hard to feel safe when you knew that there were beings who could level mountains walking around.
He really hoped nothing like that ever came here.
Raka glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm guessing you got here earlier than my group did?"
"Yup, about two weeks before you. I came in with one of the smaller relocation groups. After our car broke down, a group of orcs carried the car. That is an experience I will NEVER forget, I tell you."
"Pfft- Really? I really want to see what that looked like!"
"Trust me, kid, you really don't."
The two laughed as they recounted the most abnormal things they experienced after the merger. He told her about the dragon that nearly killed his family, and she turned pale just hearing about it.
But soon enough, the two just sat in comfortable silence. Enjoying the scenery of the place.
"Did you think things would become like this after the merger?"
He nodded. "Kind of, but things are... better than I expected, honestly."
She hummed in agreement. "Yeah. It's weird, isn't it? Everything looks so peaceful like nothing's wrong, but sometimes I feel like I'm just waiting for the illusion to break."
They watched as one of the younger girls tripped in the grass, and Sarah immediately reached out to help her.
Raka smiled softly. "For now, I'm just glad Sarah can still laugh like that."
The woman returned the smile, "It's always the small things that keep us going huh?"
"I guess you could say that."
After chatting with the other parents for a while and watching the kids wind down, Raka's dad finally arrived to pick up Sarah in a "car."
Calling it a car might be generous, though. It floated a few inches off the ground, humming with faint, runic symbols etched along its underside. A stocky dwarf in a tattered cap sat behind the wheel, cigarette dangling from his lips. The faint smell of smoke trailed behind him.
'Looks like not even the creatures of Arche are safe from nicotine addiction.'
He waved goodbye to Dad and Sarah, staying behind to walk home, buy himself something, and maybe grab something cold to drink.
The sun was brutal. Two suns meant twice the heat. Well, it's either that or some kind of placebo effect because he's pretty sure that two suns would vaporize everything on the planet.
He could feel the sweat soaking through his shirt like he'd just run a marathon. His shirt clung to his back, and his hair felt like a mop.
'I could use a cold shower right now. Or maybe a can of Bebsi?'
He was halfway through plotting how to sneak an extra iced drink past his mom when he saw a familiar figure walking just in front of him.
Thalya.
She was walking ahead of him, maybe twenty meters down the compound's winding garden path.
She looked… off. She was walking like someone in a cast, looking super stiff. She was trying hard not to look like she was sneaking off to do something secret, which made her look way more suspicious. It reminded him of when he used to try to sneak out to go with friends.
Raka slowed down, and curiosity got the better of him. She was definitely thinking of something, and she was walking the same way he was, anyway.
Against his better judgment, he decided to follow her.
'Okay... either she's planning a robbery, or she's just got a really intense walking style.'
He debated for a second, should he say something? It wasn't like they were complete strangers, but he didn't know if she would find his presence annoying or not.
He blinked a few times before deciding, 'Eh, screw it.'
"Hey! Thalya!"
"Fueh-?!"
She flinched hard. When she turned to face him, her eyes narrowed before she realized who he was. "Raka? What are you doing here?"
He jogged a bit to catch up, the soles of his sandals slapping lightly against the stone path. "Nothing much. I was just on the way back home and saw you walking, so I decided to say hi. How about you? What are you up to?"
She frowned. "I'm just taking a walk."
He nodded slowly, matching her pace. "It is a nice day for it. Mind if I join you? I'm heading that way anyway."
That's when she paused. Just long enough to make him wonder if she would say no. But eventually, she nodded once. "Fine. If you want."
The two of them started walking side by side down the path. It wasn't busy; most people were either eating lunch, staying in the shade, or trying to avoid the midday heat.
The only sounds were the distant humming of mana-conductive generators and the rustle of trees in the warm breeze.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
"So…" Raka began after a few awkward seconds. "Is this a usual thing for you? Walking like a soldier all the time?"
She gave him a sideways glance. "I walk how I walk."
"Didn't say it was bad," he replied. "Just… unique, I guess. I mean, it's not every day that you see someone walking like they just stole some candy."
That earned him a tiny huff. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but they were talking, so yay for socializing.
They reached a fork in the path. One way led toward Raka's house, and the other curved off toward the quiet residential row where Thalya's temporary unit was.
Raka slowed his pace. "Well, this is me. Thanks for letting me third-wheel your on your walk."
Thalya stopped too. She looked like she might just nod and go for a moment, but then she glanced at him again.
"It was pleasant talking to you, Raka."
He blinked. "Uh... thanks?"
She turned and walked off without another word.
Raka watched her for a few steps, hands in his pockets. The heat didn't seem as bad anymore.
'Progress?'
…
Meanwhile, far away in the central castle of Dravareth, a room filled with countless papers, magical circles, and concoctions, a lizardkin mage stood before a glowing orb. Inside the orb was another mage, though countless robes covered their features.
"Captain, we have obtained critical information regarding the Vel'Mahlian's plans. I must speak with our goddess at once. This is our chance to strike back!"
The words that followed made the captain's slitted eyes widen in shock.
"Underssstood, soldier. Linking you to our goddessss at once."
The captain raised their hands in a prayer. The orb began to shift colors, swirling from pale blue to burning crimson.
"Oh, goddess who rules our lands, I reach out to you as your loyal subject! Appear before me!"
For a moment, everything went still.
Then, a burst of searing light erupted from the orb, so intense that the captain had to shield his eyes with a spell, while the soldier on the other side cried out.
And then she appeared.
Wreathed in dancing blue flames, the towering figure of their goddess emerged.
Karthzion had arrived.
The captain dropped to one knee instantly. The soldier mirrored him, though his posture wavered as if barely holding together.
They remained in reverent silence as Karthzion gazed at their bowed forms, the ambient heat of her presence alone making the air ripple.
"My most trusted captain," her voice boomed, distorted slightly by the fire, "for what reason have you called me?"
"Goddess Karthzion," he said, still kneeling, "my soldier has identified the Sinnersss' next course of action."
Karthzion raised a flaming hand slightly, signaling him to continue.
"They plan to steal Sunpiercer from beneath your grasp. But now we know the time they will strike. We can ambush them."
He looked up, barely able to see her expression through the veil of flames. Her silence stretched for several heartbeats.
Then, she burst into thunderous laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
The flames around her surged, lashing out in waves.
The captain instantly created a layered defense spell, mana flaring in a dome around him, as the flames rolled outward. When the laughter died down and the fires receded, he lowered his shield and surveyed the room.
The enchanted floor had melted into warped glass. Wall runes had disintegrated into smoke. His desk was a smoldering pile of ash.
Karthzion hadn't even moved.
"Very well," she said, her voice crackling like burning timber. "If that is how they wish to play it, then we shall respond accordingly."
Her flames changed color once again, now a brilliant deep red. "We will burn them till not even a cell remains."
She turned her burning gaze toward the soldier, who looked like he had nearly pissed himself just from the pressure of her presence.
"Soldier. Tell me everything."
…
...
...
"I see… Hahaha! How amusing."
Karthzion still didn't seem particularly concerned. The captain, on the other hand, had gone pale beneath his scales. His claws clenched, his tail twitching in restrained fury.
"Forgive me, goddess," he said through grit teeth, "but if they truly possess such a weapon… how are we to fight back without risking casualties?"
At that, Karthzion's flames pulsed. She grew quiet.
One hand rose to her chin, the fire dimming to a contemplative yellow. It flickered steadily in silence before snapping violently back to blue, the shift sudden enough to make the captain flinch.
"Fret not, my child," she said. "I will ensure that the people of Dravareth, our people, remain unharmed."
She turned back toward the orb.
"You are dismissed."
The orb flickered once, and the soldier vanished. The glow faded until the glass sphere sat dormant once more, calm and silent.
The captain remained kneeling until she spoke again.
"We will move Sunpiercer to a new location. There, we shall set our ambush."